


Unity (Hange Zoë x Original Female Character) | one-shots

by wordsmithdhampir



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 進撃の巨人 | Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29864430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsmithdhampir/pseuds/wordsmithdhampir
Summary: When Ember Sorrows joined the Training Corps, she met Hange Zoë - a peculiar character who caught her eye. Little did she know she'd find herself following the Section-Commander into the Survey Corps.~Story will be written in one-shots.~They/them pronouns for Hange.~May be slow updating.~Sorry for bad summary.
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

_i. snowy excursion_

A gust of icy wind sent shivers racing down Ember’s spine as she dragged her boots through the thick snow and up the side of the mountain. Snow flakes battered into the small amount of skin she had exposed on her face, making it sore and irritating.

Her hands, tucked into three lots of warm woollen gloves, clutched at the straps of her pack, still numbing despite the layers of protection. She felt miserable, to say the least and yet her partner was gleefully bounding in-front of her. Talking passionately about their excitement to join the Survey Corps in a few months’ time and being able to explore outside the Walls. Hange Zoë was certainly a peculiar character.

And there was Ember, trying not to freeze.

Hange was only a couple of years older than Ember and in the last of the three years into their training. Ember had only just started when the Chief Instructor figured it was a good idea to pair up the most recent recruits with the ones who were close to graduating.

Something about teamwork and how the older ones would teach the younger. Ember didn’t really listen properly. She only realised what had happened when a beaming Hange tapped her on the shoulder with a sunny smile and proclaimed them “Buddies!”

The next thing she knew she was hiking up a mountain in freezing weather and with a person who could speak for hours without a respite. Ember didn’t know whether to be concerned or impressed.

“So, what about you?” they said loudly over the howling of the wind and Hange waited until they were beside Ember before starting to walk again. Their goggles glimmering in the miniscule amount of moonlight that squeezed through the overhead storm clouds.

Ember blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry. I missed what you said.”

Hange smiled. “Where will you be going to after you graduate?”

“Oh,” Ember thought for a moment. “Uh, I guess I haven’t really thought about it yet. Maybe the Garrison I suppose.”

They frowned. “Aw, that’s a shame. I was kind of hoping that you’d join the Survey Corps.”

She scoffed. “I don’t think I’d be good enough for that. They need people like you, intelligent and smart and someone who won’t get killed on their first expedition. I won’t last very long.”

Hange bumped their shoulder into Ember’s and she jolted, trying not to slip on the snow.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” they exclaimed, their eyebrows drawn together. “Everyone has to start somewhere; I think you’d make a great soldier.”

She smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

“And I expect you to join me in the Survey Corps in a few years’ time,” they continued and began reaching into their coat pockets, pulling out the compass they’d been given at the start.

Then they stopped suddenly. “Uh oh.”

Ember quirked up an eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘ _uh oh_ ’?”

Hange waved dismissively, one hand still grasping the compass. “It’s no big deal. It’s fine. Sort of. Only that we’ve gone two miles off course from our checkpoint.”

“ _What_?” she spluttered. “How in the Walls did that happen? I thought we were going south; we were walking in a straight line the entire time!”

“Hmm,” Hange pondered, scratching the back of their head. “I probably led us a little south-east while talking. That’s a possibility. Actually, it’s probably what happened.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Ember gaped.

“Pfft it’s fine,” they beamed. “We just have to retrace our steps and then head south again. We’ll be at our checkpoint in no time. Follow me – “

“Oh no you don’t,” Ember grabbed the compass from their hands with a scowl. “ _I’m_ leading the way lest we end up four miles away instead of two. Let’s go.”

Ember stormed ahead angrily; her eyes fixated on the needle to make sure that it was pointing south. To say she was annoyed was an understatement, she was pissed. This meant that they had to freeze their arses off for more time than necessary.

She heard their footsteps quicken to catch up with her.

“Now that’s the spirit,” they said proudly. “We’ll be there in no time and you can tell Shadis that you brought us back to camp.”

“Hold on a minute,” Ember stopped abruptly and stared at Hange, suspicion creeping into her tone. “You took us off course on purpose, didn’t you?”

“No,” they said immediately but their light-brown eyes twinkled in a way that suggested otherwise.

“You’re a terrible liar Hange,” Ember groaned. “What was the point of this?”

“You doubt yourself too much when there’s no reason to, I see you around camp during training,” Hange shrugged nonchalantly. “I know you’re more than capable of bringing us to that checkpoint, even without my help. So, show me.”

“You almost got us lost,” Ember pointed out. “How did you know I would even figure out how to get us back on track?”

“Because I put my trust in you and I’m putting my trust in you now.”

“You barely know me.”

“I know enough,” they grinned.

Ember was too tired to continue being angry at them so she exhaled slowly before marching off again. “For this I get to have most of our rations when we get there.”

“Hmm if you say so,” they sung happily behind her and Ember knew they’d probably be skipping if they weren’t nearly knee-deep in the snow.

~*~

What felt like an eternity later, they arrived in the clearing designated for them to set up their camp for the night. Well, for what was left of it that was. Another pack had been left out for them in the centre in-case they needed to restock on supplies. As Ember knelt down to grab it, she noticed a small campfire through the trees.

Another team had clearly reached their checkpoint before them and had been lucky enough to start a fire. Ember was almost tempted to run towards it and warm her hands but she and Hange would need to make their own fire. If that was even possible.

“Oh look,” Hange spoke up behind her. “We’re here. See, that wasn’t so bad was it?”

Ember turned and glared. “We could be sitting in-front of a warm fire right now if you hadn’t decided to take us on a detour. At least tell me you managed to bring the tents.”

Hange lifted up their index finger as a ‘wait one moment’ sign as they took off their pack and rummaged through its contents. And then after a few moments, they looked up meekly. “Ah, I have _a_ tent.”

“Just a tent?” Ember repeated.

They nodded. “Just the one.”

“Not two?”

“Nope.”

Ember sighed, turning away to pinch the bridge of her nose. Unlike the last time, she couldn’t tell if Hange had done this on purpose or not. They had decided before setting off that Ember would carry the first aid gear, rations and the sleeping bags whilst Hange would take both tents. But yet there they were, with _one_ tent.

“Looks like we’ll have to share,” Hange said joyfully. “Won’t that be cosy?”

At that moment, Ember neither had the strength or will to disagree with them. She just nodded, stated she would go and hunt for some dry firewood and left them to it.

Once she felt like she’d collected enough, she returned to their campsite to see that Hange had already completed setting up their tent for the night.

“That was fast,” Ember said in surprise.

“Not bad, eh?” they gestured. “Big enough for the both of us.”

“It’ll do,” Ember shook her head and dumped the firewood in the centre of the clearing, pushing the snow around it away so it touched the earth beneath it. That way, it wouldn’t get as damp. She grabbed a matchbox out of her pocket and pleaded with whatever higher power that was out there to at least grant them a little warmth.

After almost five attempts, Ember was close to giving up.

“Why isn’t this working?” she complained.

“Here,” Hange knelt down beside her and took the matchbox from her hands. With a single swipe, the match produced a flame which they then lowered to the firewood. “You were swiping too gently. It needed more friction to spark.”

Ember closed her eyes. “Of course. I can’t even light a bloody match properly.”

“Oi,” they punched her arm and she yelped.

“What the hell was that for?” Ember gasped, rubbing her bicep.

“You’re doubting again. I want none of that.”

“Alright, jeez,” Ember sat backwards, watching as the fire manifested into large, flickering flames. Their campsite washed by its orangey glow.

They sat in comfortable silence as the fire began to spit and crackle.

Eventually, once they were warmed up enough, Ember reached for her pack and brought out the bread and crackers. The bread was unsurprisingly damp and tasteless, but it filled her up so it would do. Hange seemed content enough nibbling on their rations and poking the fire with a stick they’d retrieved from the woods.

While Ember believed they were lost in thought, eventually they turned and spoke. “May I ask a question?”

Ember half-shrugged. “It depends on what the question is.”

“Why are you always so negative about yourself?”

She didn’t answer for a while, questioning whether she wanted to or not. Ember knew she could trust Hange. She knew that when it came down to gossip, they didn’t particularly dabble in it.

“I guess I’ve always been a pessimist,” Ember replied truthfully. “When you grow up in the gutter and treated like litter, it’s kind of hard to think highly of yourself. It’s not like I don’t try, I guess it’s just a habit now.”

“Habits can always be broken,” Hange stated.

“Not very easily,” Ember continued. “But I’ll try. I joined the military so I could be worth something. Doesn’t matter how small, at least it’s something. It’s better than nothing I suppose.”

Hange smiled, dipping their head. “Then I hope that wherever you end up – it’ll be a place that’ll appreciate you appropriately.”

“Thank-you,” Ember said, turning away to hide the small blush dusting her cheeks before standing. “I still have a few years to choose so I better make the right one. But we should head to sleep, we don’t want to wake up late and end up being the last to the finish.”

Ember held out her hand and Hange took it.

~*~

She didn’t know what time it was, but she knew she hadn’t slept a wink after she’d climbed into her sleeping bag. It was impossible to sleep when it was this cold, despite the faint auburn glow of the fire about a metre away.

Ember sighed, opting to stay staring up at the roof of their tent and daydreaming of when they finally reached camp again. To have a warm drink and sleep in a cosy bed.

“Oh,” said a voice from beside her and Ember managed to stop herself from jumping at the sudden noise. “You still awake too?”

It was Hange of course, the fellow-recruit also seemingly suffering temporary insomnia due to the cold. Ember tried to peer at them through the darkness, only being able to see half of their face due to one side being obscured by shadows.

“Yeah,” she let out an exhale. “I don’t know how they expected us to sleep in this weather.”

“Maybe they didn’t,” Hange suggested thoughtfully. “They’re training us to face all conditions. I’m sure sleep-deprivation was one of many obstacles they had in mind for us.”

“Fantastic,” Ember mumbled. “You know we’d probably be warmer sitting out there in-front of the fire. If we’re staying up until sunrise we might as well stay warm.”

Hange was silent for a moment, and Ember could’ve sworn she heard the gears turning in their head. They were thinking of something, though what – she had no idea. Eventually, they sat up from their sleeping bag.

“I’ve got it,” they said. “Open your sleeping bag.”

Ember stared at them. “What?”

“Hey, trust me why don’t you? Just unzip it for a second,” they replied and Ember reluctantly sat up and did what they said.

She watched, slightly confused as Hange grabbed one side of their sleeping bag and the other side of Ember’s. Ember then heard the tell-tale _zip_ as they joined the pair of sleeping bags together.

“What are you doing?”

“Lie down,” they ordered.

Ember opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted when they pushed her back down. They brought the makeshift blanket down on top of her before shuffling themselves into a comfortable position.

Ember couldn’t help but frown. This wasn’t any different from when they had two separate sleeping bags.

“No offence – and I admire your thinking, but I don’t think this is any better than before.”

“Oh, that’s because I haven’t done the last part yet,” they replied.

“What’s the last part?”

“Cuddling!” they exclaimed happily and before Ember could even formulate a coherent response, she felt Hange’s arm wrap around her – tugging Ember closer until there was no space left between them. And for a moment, she was frozen.

“Uh – I don’t know about this…” but her voice trailed off as she began to feel warmer than she’d had since they’d set off on the stupid excursion.

“I was right,” she heard Hange say quietly. “Isn’t this better? Huddling for warmth always works.”

“It sounds like you do it often.”

“Uh…well no – I meant…I just – “

“I’m joking,” Ember chuckled, her body relaxing now that it had risen in temperature. In fact, she felt almost content wrapped in the fellow-recruit’s arms. An occurrence that came as a rarity these days since she started training. “Thank-you for this. It was a good idea. I wouldn’t have thought of it.”

“You’re welcome,” they replied softly. “Goodnight Ember.”

“Goodnight Hange,” she smiled and closed her eyes and very soon found herself drifting off into a silent slumber.

The only problem was, their little set-up had worked _too_ well and they work up late the next morning.


	2. late nights

_ii. late nights_

Ember was struggling, yanking – trying anything to get the giant hand to release her. But all those attempts were futile. Her blades were broken, her ODM gear all out of fuel. Her comrades, her squad all gone – there was nothing that could save her now.

The wide open and grinning jaw of the Titan drew closer and she opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. Walls, this was it. She was going to die.

She squeezed her eyes tightly and just as the giant teeth was about to crunch her skull into tiny splinters, Ember jerked awake. She was sat up in her bed, her roommate Lydia Culpepper snoring soundly in the bed across the room. She was safely secure within the confines of the Walls and in the headquarters of the Survey Corps.

It was a nightmare of course. They weren’t uncommon these days, but it still left her trembling. It seemed like they were becoming more vivid each time they occurred and it was always the same one. All of her squad were gone – slaughtered by the Titans and she was the only one left. There was one detail missing this time however and that was she hadn’t seen Hange Zoë die.

The last ones had the Section-Commander’s life end in gruesome fashions, Ember always too late to reach them just before the final hit. She shook her head and climbed out of bed, grabbing some trousers and a shirt. Maybe a walk would clear her mind, she thought.

She briefly wondered if Hange would still be awake at this time and found herself gravitating towards the hallway where the Section-Commander’s room was only to find their door wide open.

Ember frowned; she couldn’t hear any voices but their light was seeping into hallway. Out of pure curiosity and concern, Ember peered around the doorway and into their room where she found a pacing Moblit. And behind him was the Section-Commander, slumped at their desk and snoring away. She restrained the urge to roll her eyes at the sight.

“Moblit?” she called quietly and the man halted.

“Ember,” he nodded curtly, his arms straight down by his sides. He looked uneasy and unsure but he gave her a smile. “What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I could ask the same thing,” she arched an eyebrow and then gestured to the passed-out Section-Commander. “They fell asleep doing paperwork, didn’t they?”

He sighed. “It appears so. I’ve been at a loss at whether to wake them or not. On one hand, I know they need it since they’ve done nothing but be awake for the last _twenty-four hours_. But on the other, Commander Erwin is expecting the paperwork on the latest Titan testing before tomorrow.” 

“Ah,” Ember smirked. “It seems you’re in quite the conundrum.”

Moblit sighed again. “I suppose the right thing to do is to wake them. As much as I hate to.”

Ember thought for a moment, trying to weigh up the options and whether there was a way around waking up the sleeping Section-Commander. And then it came to her and she smiled.

“No, don’t wake them up,” she said. “I have an idea.”

Moblit gave her a puzzled look. “What is it?”

“I know you’re probably not going to like it _but_ if I know Hange, then I know they keeps notes that they use to write their paperwork, right?” Ember said, passing Moblit by and walking behind the said Section-Commander.

“Yes,” he nodded, albeit a little suspiciously.

Ember leaned over Hange’s shoulder, peering at what they’d written so far and spotting the mentioned notes adjacent to the paperwork and grinned victoriously. “I’m good at mimicking handwriting, I can finish off the rest of their paperwork and hand it to Erwin before sunrise.”

Moblit’s eyes widened. “B-But that’s forgery – “

“Only if we get caught. Well by we I mean _me_ ,” she shrugged before carefully taking Hange’s goggles off, folding them and putting them on the desk. “Look, Mobby I know it’s breaking the rules and stuff but you know more than anyone how hard it is to get them to sleep. Just let them have this night and if we get caught, I’ll say it’s all my idea, okay?”

He looked a little annoyed at the nickname but refrained from mentioning it. For a while he just watched the sleeping Section-Commander, but his shoulders slumped and he reluctantly relented.

“Only this once,” he said weakly, like it physically hurt him to accept breaking the rules.

“Attaboy Mobby,” she grinned. “Okay, I’m going to carry them by their arms – can you take their legs?”

“Walls forbid they wake up while we’re lifting them,” Moblit mumbled, partially to himself before walking around the desk and grabbing onto Hange’s legs.

“Okay,” Ember said quietly, her arms wrapped around Hange. “On the count of three we lift, sound good?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Okay. Three. Two. One. Lift,” and within the instant they’d taken the Section-Commander from their spot at the desk. Carrying them across the study and towards their bedroom door at the far corner, trying hard not to stumble or trip as they navigated their way over.

Finally, they reached the Section-Commander’s bed and lowered them down. Moblit released an exhale, relieved that Hange hadn’t stirred even once.

“Wow, they must really be out of it,” Ember chuckled.

“Sleep-deprivation can do that to you,” Moblit commented, a tiny but detectable amount of amusement in his tone. “But do they listen? Not a chance.”

“Hange’s stubborn,” Ember stated fondly, trying to carefully take off their boots before drawing the duvet over them. “That’s why they need you. And I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t last very long without you, you know.”

He paused for a moment, and she could barely see him through the darkness. The only light available coming in through the study.

“They need you too,” he said quietly. “They’re fond of you Ember. Always have been.”

“I don’t know about that,” she turned towards the door, and gestured towards it. “I’m going to get started on their paperwork. Don’t worry about staying up any longer. You should head to bed too. You’ll probably need buckets of energy to keep up with them tomorrow.”

She strolled back out, not waiting for his reply and took the spot at the desk where Hange had previously been. Ember rummaged through the paperwork, finding the spot where they had left off and then picked up the notes.

When she looked up again, Moblit had closed the door to Hange’s bedroom and was standing in-front of her.

“Are you sure about this?” he said. “I can send a message to Commander Erwin that the paperwork will be late and Hange can finish it tomorrow – “

“Moblit,” Ember interrupted firmly. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t look like they had much to finish anyway. I’ll be done within an hour.”

He still looked unconvinced. “I don’t – “

“Trust me,” she said, looking up at him imploringly. “You do trust me, don’t you?”

“I…Of course I do,” he nodded.

“Then go to bed, I’ll see you in the morning.”

She looked back down at the paperwork again and began writing. Eventually, she heard Moblit’s slow but steady footsteps walk towards the door before they stopped again.

“Thank-you Ember,” she heard him say. “And goodnight.”

Ember looked up and gave him a smile. “Goodnight Moblit.”

And then he closed the door, leaving Ember alone in the Section-Commander’s study and her thoughts.

~*~

Just over an hour later and she was finished. Her eyes stung from tiredness but she was pretty sure that she’d included all the notes Hange had written down. Smiling, she stood up from the chair and looked over at the clock. Roughly, she reckoned that there was about two hours before the usual sunrise.

Ember would be able to deliver Hange’s paperwork to Erwin and head back to her room before Lyra woke up. Plenty of time.

She grabbed the work and found her way to Erwin’s office, not even faintly surprised when she saw that the Commander was awake. She was sure that the man didn’t get any more sleep than Hange did. Taking a breath, she knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she heard him call and she stepped it.

At first when Erwin looked up and saw Ember, he seemed surprised and albeit a little puzzled.

“Ember,” he said eventually. “To what do I owe the pleasure? And at this…rather early time of morning.”

“Sorry about the time, Commander,” she said and then held the work up. “I’m just here to deliver Section-Commander Hange’s paperwork, Sir. I believe they were meaning to have it in before tomorrow – or rather today should I say.”

“Really?” Erwin replied, quirking up an eyebrow but taking the paperwork nevertheless. “And why didn’t they send Moblit to deliver it? They usually do.”

“Section-Commander Hange said he could turn in for the night. It took some convincing, but he did go in the end.”

She watched him skim through the paperwork until he got to the last page and her heart began to hammer in her chest. _Please don’t realise. Please don’t realise._

“Well, everything seems to be in order.”

The relief Ember felt was short-lived as a smile crept across the Commander’s lips as he looked up again.

“But if you want to make it more convincing. I suggest you dot the i’s with love-hearts which the Section-Commander has a habit of doing recently,” he said and Ember froze. “If it wasn’t for that, you would’ve had me convinced. I have to say I’m impressed.”

 _Shit._ When did they start doing that? God damn Hange, why are you like this.

“Commander, I promise – Section-Commander Hange and Moblit had no part in this…” Ember said quickly. “I just found them asleep and I thought it might help them out a little. I meant no – “

She stopped when the Commander held up his hand. Instead of the annoyance or anger she’d expected, he seemed amused, like he was close to laughing – a rare sight for the Commander of the scouts.

“Ember, you can relax. I’m not going to punish you. Hange needed their rest, that’s why I sent Levi to put sleeping draught in their tea last night,” Erwin explained.

Ember pulled a face. “Is that legal?”

“Probably not,” he shrugged. “But they’re unlikely to notice. We’ve done it a few times before and it always does the trick.”

“It certainly did. They were knocked-out cold.”

He raised the paperwork again. “I’ll go over the paperwork with Hange when they wake up, just to check everything. But it appears it’s all fine.”

“I’ll make sure to dot the i’s with love-hearts next time,” Ember continued hurriedly when she saw the look of disapproval on the Commander’s face. “-Or never. Yeah, there won’t be a next time.”

Erwin smiled again. “You’re free to go, Sorrows.”

She left the room and when the door clicked shut behind her, let her shoulders slump against the wall. Ember rubbed her eyes, took one last look at the Commander’s door and left for her own room.

~*~

“And so, I was like ‘hey maybe we could go and have a drink together sometime’ and wouldn’t you know it, she said yes! I knew she had a thing for me, always eyeing me up and sending me smiles!” proclaimed Austin Lowry, as he slammed his fists onto the table, causing their dinner trays to rattle.

“Be careful, you idiot,” Lyra told him. “If you knock our drinks over, you’ll be cleaning them up.”

Cole, another squad-member, with carefully combed raven black hair and round-rimmed spectacles, scoffed amusedly. “Are you sure you didn’t just dream that, Lowry?”

“I did not _dream_ it,” Austin argued defensively. “It happened.”

Ember restrained from rolling her eyes at the trio beside her. Usually, she’d find their usual morning banter in the mess hall amusing, but today – she didn’t have the energy.

“Ay,” she felt Austin elbow her in the side. “What’s up with you, grumpy? You look like death.”

She glared at him. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“Hey,” he shrugged. “Just telling the truth.”

“And yet you lie about having a girlfriend,” Cole raised an eyebrow, resting his chin on his hand. “Seems rather hypocritical to me.”

“Oh, would you shut-up,” Austin threw his hands in the air, his sandy hair flopping to the side from the movement. “I’m not lying. It’s true! Anyway – we were talking about Ember.”

“Were we?” Ember said. “I thought we changed the subject.”

“Oh no, you’re not escaping that easily,” Lyra said opposite her, leaning over with a smirk. “This dumbass spent half of the night awake and out of bed. Though she won’t tell me where she went.”

“I did tell you! I went for a walk!”

“For two hours? What were you doing? Walking laps round the headquarters? I don’t believe that.”

Austin whistled and shook his head. “Marlene isn’t going to be happy if you turn up to training looking like a zombie.”

“I’ll be fine,” she protested. “If you three would just let me drink my coffee in peace. I just couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk, that’s it alright?”

“Hmm,” Ember heard Cole say to her left. “It seems we have two liars in our midst.”

“I’m not lying,” Ember replied and she wasn’t. She just wasn’t including the whole truth because if she knew her friends, they would never let her hear the end of it.

“Hey!” a loud and familiar voice suddenly called from across the mess hall and Ember cursed. “Oi, Ember!”

“Is that Section-Commander Hange?” frowned Lydia. “Why is she calling you? What did you do?”

“Nothing, I – “

The aforementioned Section-Commander appeared at their table, looking at Ember’s squad with a smile. Ember noted that they had clearly just woken up by their messily tied up hair and lopsided goggles. She just wanted to reach up and straighten them, but kept her hands firmly by her sides.

“Good morning! Nice day, isn’t it?” Hange hummed. “You don’t mind if I steal Ember, do you?”

“Oh no please be our guest,” Cole replied immediately and then shot her a side-grin.

Ember mumbled a few curse words in his direction, causing the boy’s smirk to broaden. She downed the last remaining dregs of her coffee and stood up, gesturing towards the Section-Commander. “Would you like to lead the way?”

Hange gave her a knowing look before crossing the room to the exit, Ember reluctantly following them close behind. And once they were out of anyone’s earshot, Hange spun around and placed their hands on their hips.

“You know, a funny thing happened this morning. I could’ve sworn I fell asleep at my desk and yet when I woke up – I was in my bed,” Hange continued. “And then I had Moblit knocking, telling me that Erwin wanted to see me. So, I thought I’d grab the paperwork I’d been working on last night only to find it gone.”

“Really?” Ember restrained a wince.

“Hmm,” they nodded. “So, I went to Erwin and he told me that you’d handed it in early this morning – completely finished. I then cornered Moblit and he let the little bit of information slip that _you_ did the rest of it.”

“Did he?” she said, her voice sounding strained. There was no point denying it at this point. Of course, they were bound to find out what had happened. It didn’t take a genius to put the pieces together. “Look, Hange – I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean any harm by it. I just wanted you to get some rest for once.”

“Oh,” their expression softened. “I’m not mad. But I am kind of curious how you managed to write with my handwriting, identically.”

“Well – not really _identically_ considering Erwin caught me. Since when did you start doing dotting your i’s with love-hearts?” she shook her head. “Never-mind, I don’t think I want to know. The whole mimicking handwriting thing is just a weird talent of mine.”

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? What other secret talent are you hiding that I don’t know about?” they teased.

“That’s for me to know and you to _never_ find out,” Ember grinned but she then reached up and moved their goggles so it sat straight on the bridge of their nose. “I wish you’d put these on properly, one day they’ll fall off and break.”

Their eyes watched Ember’s movements silently, their face lost in thought. Hange’s hand then reached up and touched hers, their fingers curling around her palm.

“Thank-you,” they said tenderly and Ember’s heart began to beat loudly in her chest. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Ember didn’t know what to think. Her mind was racing as her eyes locked onto theirs. She didn’t have to ponder much longer, as Hange abruptly pulled away from her when the sound of approaching footsteps made their way down the hallway behind them.

“Oi, four-eyes,” called Captain Levi Ackerman. “We’ve got a meeting with Erwin. Or did you forget again?”

“N-No I didn’t forget; I was talking to Ember about something. I’m just coming,” the Section-Commander blurted but as they passed, their hand reached out and squeezed Ember’s shoulder.

And as Ember watched them and Levi disappear down the hallway, a sombre expression moulded onto her face. 


	3. blueprints

_iii. blueprints_

_Fifteen-year-old Ember Sorrows whipped through the trees, blades flashing as they sliced through the nape of a dummy that had just peeked out from around the trunk of a nearby tree._

_“Damn it, Sorrows!” cursed Rico Brzenska, a fellow recruit, from somewhere behind her. “I said that one was mine.”_

_Ember tilted her head to grin at the girl. “Guess you’re just too slow.”_

_She ducked beneath a tree branch, spotting another dummy up ahead and three other trainees zipping towards it. It wasn’t exactly a race. Ember knew that they were being marked on teamwork rather than how fast they could open the nape of the dummy. But often times Ember just liked annoying the blonde and stealing her ‘kills’ was definitely included._

_Their graduation would be this week and this would be their final examination. Ember knew Rico had been aiming for the top ten. She, on the other hand, didn’t mind too much. Graduating from the Training Corps was a feat in itself, getting into the top ten was just an added bonus._

_And so, when the results were announced for the 100 th Cadet Corps and she found herself in eighth place, she couldn’t help but show a flicker surprise. _

_“Uh, there must have been some kind of mistake,” she tried to say but Shadis gave her a pointed look and she closed her mouth._

_Then Ember saw Rico fall in line beside her._

_“Don’t act like you’re in denial, Sorrows. We both know you were going to end up in the top ten,” the blonde told her. “And you deserved it, as much as it pains for me to admit it since you stole my kill.”_

_“Thanks,” Ember said. “I think?”_

_“You could join the MPs. Is that what you’re aiming for?”_

_“No,” Ember said curtly. “The MPs is the last place I’ll join.”_

_“Well, it better not be the Garrison since that’s where I’ll be going and I’ve had enough of seeing your smug face as it is,” Rico stated, matter-of-factly._

_“I am_ not _smug,” she protested._

_“Keep telling yourself that. You seemed pretty smug to me when you stole my kill – “_

_“Oh Walls, you’re never going to let that go, are you?”_

_“Not until you die, so you better stay alive so I can remind you,” Rico said._

_Ember looked at her. “You know sometimes I really can’t tell if you like or hate me. Maybe I’ll join the Garrison just to find out.”_

_“Don’t you dare.”_

_Ember laughed._

_“Don’t worry. I think I’m going to go into the Survey Corps,” she told the blonde. “So, you won’t have to see my ‘smug face’ as you put it. I have someone I want to see there.”_

_Rico gave her a dark look. “Like I said before, you better stay alive.”_

_“I will,” Ember raised her hands defensively._

_Before Rico had a chance to say something else, Shadis cleared his throat to signal their attention. Ember shot the girl a smirk, and turned to look at the Chief Instructor._

_“Congratulations Cadets,” he told them sternly. “In just a few days from now you’ll be deciding what division of the military you’ll be joining. Whether it’s the Military Police, the Garrison or the Scouts – I’d like to think that you’ll remember your training and will not make silly mistakes. You are dismissed to collect your belongings and head out before nightfall.”_

_“Yes Sir,” they chanted, saluting the Chief Instructor for one final time before leaving the Training Corps for good._

~*~

Ember yanked the reins of her horse to the left, but the raven-coated mare huffed and veered right – shaking her head in protest and causing some of her mane to whack Ember in the face. The sun had barely peeked above the horizon, casting an orangey glow over the nearby surroundings.

Up ahead were the silhouettes of Hange and Moblit, strolling ahead on their well-behaved horses. Of course, Val, her horse was barely a few years old and had a streak of sassiness that wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.

“Come on Val,” Ember said gently, patting the mare on the head. “I know it’s early but I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

Val huffed again, rearing her head back before reluctantly beginning a slow trot forwards after the Section-Commander and Moblit. She let out a sigh of relief but didn’t dare ask the horse to go any faster in-case the mare threw another tantrum.

It was then she’d noticed that Moblit had held back to wait for her, his eyebrow arched in a silent question.

She shook her head. “It’s fine. She’s just being a bit stubborn.” 

“Does she usually do that?” he asked, slightly amused.

“Only if I don’t give her an apple in the morning. Apparently, her regular breakfast isn’t enough for her,” Ember replied. “I pretty much grew up around horses and Val is the liveliest one I’ve come across.”

“They all have different temperaments,” Moblit said with a shrug. “Not all of them will be easy to train. I’m guessing you’ll have your work cut out for you.”

“I can’t wait,” Ember said sarcastically with a grin.

“Oi, you two!” called out Hange’s voice from in-front of them. They had brought their own horse to a halt and was waving at them from around ten-metres away. “Quit with the chit-chat and hurry up!”

They glanced at each other and Moblit gestured for Ember to go in-front. She tugged on her reins again and to her liberation, Val began to speed up without complaint.

Of course, Ember hadn’t particularly planned to be riding Val this early in the morning.

Less than an hour prior she’d been standing in her room, conversing with Lyra when the Section-Commander had burst in un-prompted. Walls knew if Hange actually had knowledge about the art of knocking. Lyra had squealed in surprise, hiding underneath the covers of her bed whilst Ember stood there dumbfounded.

“Morning Lyra! I’m just going to take Ember on a little adventure,” the brunette had exclaimed. “I’ll meet you down in the stables in about ten minutes, okay?”

“Wait,” Ember had said quickly. “Where are we – “

But Hange had already slammed the door shut and ran off down the hallway, leaving Ember to put the pieces together herself. And then here she was. Sitting on Val and moving towards the Walls with only a little idea as to _why_.

On the back of the Section-Commander’s horse was a roll of blueprints, designs and schematics of potential anti-Titan artillery that Hange had been working on these last few years. They were going to present them to members of the Garrison with the hopes of strengthening the Walls defence against future breaches.

She still didn’t understand why _she_ was here, though. As far as she knew this was a conversation between higher-ranked military personnel, not something a simple solider like her should be hearing. She wasn’t going to complain though, her intrigue and curiosity far surpassing her hesitance.

Ember brought her horse so that it was beside Hange’s, the aforementioned Section-Commander’s goggles gleaming in the amber luminosity of the morning.

“I’m surprised Marlene was okay with you bringing me along,” Ember said. “We had some important ODM training to do today.”

“Well,” Hange scratched their chin and doing their best to hide a small wince. “I’m sure she’s okay with it. She usually didn’t mind before when I stole you from your squad.”

Ember stared at them. “She doesn’t know?”

“Uh, not exactly.”

“You told me she was fine with it!” Ember shouted.

“Ah – actually I said _she will be fine with it_ ,” Hange said meekly. 

“Oh Walls, she’s going to make me run one-hundred laps around headquarters when we get back,” Ember said, covering her face with her hand.

“Pfft – no she won’t. I’ll just tell it was my fault. Problem solved,” Hange shrugged.

“But then we’ll both get in trouble.”

“Exactly. At least we’ll face punishment together, eh?” they said. “Let’s get going. I think we have about less than a mile before we reach the Walls.”

Ember turned to Moblit who was shaking his head apologetically. The girl just released an exhale, closing her eyes for a brief moment before just continuing. They made it this far. Might as well finish off the reason why they came. 

~*~

She tethered her horse to a nearby tree, wrapping the lead around its trunk before running a comforting hand down the mare’s snout. By this point, the sun was well and truly in the sky and she’d positioned Val so that she was safely in the shade.

The last thing she wanted was for the horse to get heat-stroke from being out in the sunlight too long.

Ember was just double-checking that the lead was properly fastened when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. In confusion, she looked down and was unable to stop her stomach from dropping as she was suddenly zipped up into the air.

“Hange!” she shouted as she heard them chuckle in her ear. “A little warning next time!”

“Why?” they said back, barely hearing them over the whistle of the wind. “I like taking you by surprise.”

Ember took a moment to figure out if there was a double meaning behind that sentence, but decided to let it go when they landed on-top of the Walls. Moblit not too far behind them.

It was only a few minutes after, when they spotted two figures walking towards them, did Hange’s arm unwrap itself from Ember’s waist. Ember found herself missing the contact but looked up when the people who they were meeting soon approached.

Her eyes widened in recognition at one of them. “Rico?”

Walls, she hadn’t seen Rico Brzenska in years. In-fact, she hadn’t seen her since they went into their respective military divisions shortly after graduation. And then suddenly here she was, standing next to Kitz Woermann, the Captain of the Garrison’s First Division Elite Forces.

The girl’s silver eyes moved over to her, briefly flickering with surprise and recognition as they met her pale green ones. “Sorrows. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Ember grinned. “I could say the same for you. How is my favourite person?”

Rico had always hated whenever Ember called her that, and she could see the girl’s nose wrinkle at the name. But she didn’t see the way Hange frowned either.

“We should get back on track,” Kitz Woermann spoke up for the first time since they’d met. “Isn’t your choice of locations for this meeting a little…secluded? Would it not have been more suitable to choose Trost?”

“For now, Commander Erwin and I would prefer if we kept this project between ourselves, you and Commander Pyxis. Until everything is in place, of course,” Hange said. “We’d appreciate it if you could pass on these blueprints to Pyxis and report back on his thoughts.”

Captain Kitz gave a distasteful look as he snatched the blueprints out of Hange’s hands. He skimmed through the sketches with Rico peeking over his shoulder before he shook his head. “What is this? Weapons?”

“Anti-Titan artillery,” Hange answered patiently. “A key way at strengthening the Garrison and the Wall’s defence against another potential breach.”

“So, what you’re saying is, the Garrison isn’t strong enough already? That we’re weak?” he sneered. “Who do you Scouts think you are? Don’t forget that you have the highest death-rate in the military. We don’t need your help.”

“No offence,” Ember heard herself speak up. “But that’s not really your decision to make. These blueprints are to go to Commander Pyxis where he’ll decide.”

“That’s if he gets them,” he replied sombrely. “And if I agree to deliver them.”

“Excuse me Section-Commander Hange, Captain Kitz,” Rico spoke before anyone else could contribute to the discussion. The pair turned to stony disposition in surprise. “I would like to borrow Sorrows for a moment, if that’s alright.”

Ember frowned at her. What could she possibly need her for in a time like this?

It took a moment for Kitz to nod his permission and even longer for Hange but eventually Ember followed Rico a little ways away from the meeting. Ember watched as the girl’s blonde hair rustled lightly in the wind, her posture straight and to attention as always.

Before Ember could ask what Rico wanted, the girl started talking.

“Isn’t it weird that after so many years, this is how we meet again? During an altercation between your Section-Commander and my Captain,” she said, her voice not giving any emotion away.

“Your Captain is quite the moron,” Ember stated.

There was a brief smirk but within a blink, it had gone. She turned so that she was facing Titan-territory, her arms crossing over her chest. “And your Section-Commander is quite the jealous-type.”

“What?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed? I knew you were slow, but I didn’t think were this dense Sorrows,” Rico said.

“What’s this about Rico?” Ember asked, a little frustrated.

“Do you trust them?”

“Section-Commander Hange?”

“Yes, you idiot, who else.”

“Of course, I do,” Ember said, a little defensively. “I would trust them with my life.”

“But would you trust them with the lives of others? This anti-Titan artillery – do you know that it works? That’ll it be effective in protecting humanity? That’ll cut down on losses?” Rico listed.

“Yes,” Ember replied, firmly. “Hange is the smartest person I know. If anyone can build something like this, it’s them.”

“Hmm,” the girl pondered. “And so, if I convince Captain Kitz to take the blueprints to Pyxis and if the approved artillery fails – I can point the finger at you for enforcing the idea?” 

“It won’t fail but yes. You can blame me if you want to.”

Rico turned and peered at her, then her eyes flickered behind Ember and towards where the Section-Commander stood with Kitz and Moblit. Ember followed her gaze but by that point, Hange was turned and discussing something with Moblit.

“They’ve been shooting daggers at me this entire time. I wonder if they know that you’ve done nothing but praise them,” Rico said suddenly.

“They’re not doing anything. Hange is just stood there.”

Rico pinched the bridge of her nose. “Walls, I hate doing something so reckless but you’ve given me little choice.”

“What are you talking – “

There was a sudden whoosh of air as Rico’s fist sailed towards her. Ember dodged out of the way, almost tripping in the process. She spun towards Rico, her mouth agape in surprise.

“Stop it,” Ember hissed.

“Your reflexes have gotten better,” Rico noted, ignoring her and advancing forwards. “I remember the last time we sparred. You were always distracted.”

The girl sent a roundhouse kick but Ember ducked, rolling away from her before springing into a stance again.

“What are you doing?”

Rico smiled. “Proving a point.”

This time, Rico was quicker. She grabbed onto Ember’s arm, pulling Ember towards her and flipping her over her hip. Ember fell to the ground quickly, knocking her chin as Rico pulled her arm into a backwards position – threatening to dislocate it. Her knee was knelt into Ember’s back, keeping her down.

With the breath knocked out of her, she could only wheeze in response. Her chin throbbing from where it had hit the ground.

“What the hell are you doing?” shouted an angry-sounding voice and Rico was shoved off of her.

Ember groaned as she felt someone’s hands lift her up and onto her feet, and saw it was Moblit. She nodded her thanks and looked round. It was Hange that had thrown Rico off of her, but the blonde looked unfazed and rather amused.

Captain Kitz appeared stunned as Rico turned towards him.

“Sorrows here has me convinced,” the girl said. “It would be in the Garrison’s best interest to take those blueprints to Commander Pyxis. If not, I will inform him of them myself.”

“You can’t just go around attacking my – “ Hange began.

“It’s fine honestly,” Ember interrupted, grabbing their arm and pulling them away from Rico. “It was nothing. We were just messing around.”

Hange looked between the both of them and then brought their hand up to Ember’s face, catching her off guard. “You’re hurt,” they said softly, a tinge of anger still lingering in their tone.

“Just a scratch,” she tried to smile reassuringly.

Rico took the blueprints from the still astonished Captain and nodded curtly. “We should be going now. We’ll report back Commander Pyxis’ response as soon as possible, Section-Commander Hange.”

Rico gave Ember one last glance before turning and leaving, Captain Kitz following shortly behind and leaving the three of them completely baffled.

~*~

“So, you know each other?” Hange asked, once they back by their horses. Both of them were sat on the root of a tree, the Section-Commander gingerly tending to the wound on Ember’s chin. Moblit was standing not too far away, untying their horses.

“Yeah,” Ember sighed. “We were in the Cadet Corps together. She was always particularly unpredictable.”

Hange’s eyebrows furrowed and Ember couldn’t help but find the action adorable. “You said she was your favourite person?”

“Oh yeah she hated it when I would call her that – still does by the looks of it,” Ember grinned. “But of course, she isn’t really my favourite person. Someone else takes that spot.” 

Their shoulders then slumped; their frown still visible. “A-ah I see – do I know them?”

“Yes, you do,” Ember nodded. “Because I’m talking about you, you moron. Hange, you’ll always be my favourite person.”

“Me?” they repeated.

“You, Hange.”

“Huh,” Hange thought, a smile erupting on their face. “Well, that’s good news.”

Right then at that moment, Ember wanted nothing more than to grab the Section-Commander and kiss them. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Moblit standing patiently under a tree, waiting for them. She didn’t want to make it any more awkward for the guy.

She leaned in and kissed Hange’s cheek instead. “We should probably get going. It’s a long ride back.”

And she could’ve sworn she saw Hange blushing when she stood up.


	4. squad switching

_iv – squad switching_

The air was warm and pleasant as they rode through the streets of Trost, approaching the gates of Wall Rose. The weather just right for the day’s planned reconnaissance mission. But their appearance hadn’t gone unnoticed. Ember watched as an awed crowd gathered around them, but their shouts and cries went overlooked by Commander Erwin.

“There they are!” Ember heard a voice shout out from the crowd. “The main force of the Survey Corps!”

Her hands gripped Val’s reins tighter. She couldn’t help but feel like a fraud. She was by no means a part of the scouts’ main force. She peered at the Commander again. Why had he let her join? The rest of the Marlene Squad hadn’t come, so why her? Wouldn’t she just get in the way?

“Commander Erwin!” someone exclaimed. “Kill the titans for us!”

“Look, it’s Captain Levi!” another voice cried, and Ember noted the unamused expression on the Captain’s face. “They say he’s as strong as an entire brigade!”

“Shut-up,” she heard mumble under his breath.

“If they knew how fussy you are, they wouldn’t look at you with such admiration,” Hange commented from beside him, their eyes gleaming with amusement.

Ember glanced at them. They had been the one who’d decidedly brought her along. She wasn’t surprised by that though.

“I think he likes the attention really,” Ember said, earning both of their attention. “He’s just trying to hide his blush.”

Hange snorted but Levi merely narrowed his eyes at Ember. “Tch – you should discipline your squad-members more four-eyes. If you were in mine, I’d have you mopping the floors of headquarters when we return.”

“I’m not in Hange’s squad,” Ember replied. “I belong in Marlene’s group.”

He arched up an eyebrow at that, and Hange suddenly seemed very interested in the sky, a common sign that they were hiding something.

“You seriously didn’t think it appropriate to tell her?” Levi drawled.

“Tell me what?” Ember asked, a little impatiently. “Hange?”

The Section-Commander gave her a small smile that would’ve usually melted her resolve, but this time her suspicion was too strong to garner that reaction.

“Well,” Hange begun. “This morning Erwin finally gave me the go-ahead to move you into the Fourth Squad. My squad. I was going to wait until after the mission to tell you, but shorty here couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”

“Don’t blame me for this, shitty glasses. It’s no fault of mine that you thought it a good idea to only tell your girlfriend until the last minute!”

She had been so caught up in the news, she didn’t even realise what Levi had called her and how Hange hadn’t protested it.

All she knew was that she was leaving Marlene Squad. Did that mean she had to switch dorms? Would she see her friends less often? Why hadn’t Hange told her that they’d asked Erwin to switch her squads? How was she going to explain to the others why she was leaving? Would they resent her?

“Hey,” Ember suddenly felt a hand grasp her shoulder and turned to look at Hange’s worried expression. “Are you okay?”

“It would’ve been nice to have been told,” she said dryly and saw Hange grimace slightly and sighed. “Just give me a little while, okay?”

She tugged on Val’s reigns and the horse surged forwards, causing Hange’s hand to fall off her shoulder. “Wait, Ember – “

“Just give her space you idiot,” Ember heard Levi tell the Section-Commander with an unamused tone. “The last thing this mission needs is a lovers quarrel.”

Hange spluttered as Ember continued forwards, catching up to Moblit who glanced at her as she approached and gave a comforting smile which she weakly returned.

“They mean well,” he said.

“I’m sorry?”

“Section-Commander Hange. They’ve been begging Commander Erwin to move you into their squad for over a year now. They were pretty relentless with it.”

Ember hadn’t known that and didn’t particularly _know_ what to think of it. On one side, she was glad that she was in Hange’s squad – she’d get to spend more time around them. But on the other, she knew she’ll miss Lyra, Cole, and Austin more than anything. And she was torn about the fact that Hange hadn’t told her, hadn’t given her time to prepare – nothing.

“They want to keep you close,” he continued, looking forwards again. “It’s hard to do that if you’re in another squad.”

“If that was true, it’s not a good enough reason to move me into their squad,” Ember pointed out. “The Fourth Squad is for people like you. Skilled and actually deserving of it.”

“So, you think you don’t deserve it? Is that why you’re upset?”

“I’m not upset, I guess I just…” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “The point is, I just think there’s others who should be in my position instead of me. Who worked hard and not because I have a close relationship with…”

Her sentence trailed off but Moblit knew what she meant. He reached out his arm and placed it on her shoulder. “Trust me. Trust Hange. You deserve it. Welcome to the Fourth Squad, Sorrows.”

~*~

Their reconnaissance mission was going as it usually did. A chaotic mismatch of ridding the Titans still roaming in the long-abandoned towns and surveying the area.

Ember was sprinting along a rooftop, close behind another scout whose name she vaguely knew as Felix. The slippery and uneven surface almost making her stumble. They weren’t using their ODM gear, preferring to make the trek across the rooftops and leading the advancing ten-metre Titan to a secure location.

She didn’t know where Hange or Moblit were. She’d been separated from them accidentally ten minutes prior and had been caught up with Felix.

But they hadn’t realised how fast this particular Titan was, as before they could even reach the planned enclosed area, its massive jaws veered upwards and caught Felix’s cloak. He yelped in surprise, sliding backwards down the slope of the roof, and sending tiles shattering to the ground below.

Ember, without a second thought, lurched forwards, using her gear to boost her way towards the Titan’s face. She slashed an arch shape with her blades, blinding the beast and instinctively causing it to reopen his jaw. Felix shot out cables to stop his rapid descent, landing back by her side.

“Thanks,” he gasped. “I-I thought it had me there.”

“Don’t celebrate too soon. Blindness won’t stop it for long,” she pointed out. “Best if we stick to using the gear from now on. That was way too risky -”

“Watch out!” Felix shouted in a panic and both barely managed to sidestep the Titan’s snapping jaws again. The creature’s sharp monstrous teeth crunching up the roofing of the building they’d been standing on mere seconds before.

She saw the moustached-Titan turn towards her, its now singular eye tracking her movements until it seemingly heard the excitable howling coming straight towards it. Within an instant, Hange landed in-front of her. They glanced in her direction, seemingly assessing her for potential injuries before beaming at having found none.

“It’s okay,” they shouted towards the Titan. “I won’t hurt you.”

“Section-Commander Hange,” Ember said. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea to taunt the Titan.”

“Eh – he doesn’t mind,” but then they frowned. “Wait, Section-Commander?”

“What?”

“You called me Section-Commander – _oh dear_ ,” Hange’s query was cut-short as the Titan made a grab towards them – causing them to split apart again as the fist slammed down onto the roof.

“ _Shit_ ,” Ember muttered, grappling on to another nearby building as she heard Hange laugh manically above her.

“Ah – you almost got us there,” the Section-Commander exclaimed. “But now it’s my turn!”

Ember landed on the ground as Hange sliced off the Titan’s neck with simple ease – and she marvelled at how easy they had appeared to make it. Meanwhile Ember only had one Titan kill to her name and still she’d been moved to the Fourth Squad?

The thought plummeted Ember’s already sombre mood.

“There!” Hange proclaimed with glee, reaching the ground beside her as the Titan tumbled to the ground. “See? That didn’t hurt, did it?”

The Titan blood on Hange’s cloak began to dematerialise, smoke steaming from their clothes. The ground around them shaking violently as the creature came crashing down.

Hange’s expression softened when they returned their attention to Ember. But Ember was focused on the Titan corpse as it began its usual process of decay.

“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“I’m fine,” she replied curtly, and she saw the Section-Commander’s brows knit together in obvious concern.

“Ah – you’re still mad at me,” came their realisation.

“I’m not mad.”

“You called me Section-Commander Hange,” they pointed out.

“That’s your title. It would be inappropriate of me to call my _squad leader_ by their name.”

“Oh yeah, you’re definitely mad,” they winced and reached a hand out, aiming for Ember’s shoulder. “Please don’t be - if you’ll let me explain – “

Their conversation was cut-short as the Commander, Levi and his squad came to a halt beside them. “Hange – we’re pulling back immediately. The Titans are heading north, towards town. Something’s happened.”

The Section-Commander dropped their hand, their face shaping into a stoic look. “You’re thinking another potential breach? Like five years ago?”

“It’s appearing that way,” Erwin responded, his face grim. “We’re going ahead – catch up with us as soon as possible.”

And with that the group began a thunderous gallop, heading north and Ember’s mind was racing. Wall Rose has possibly been breached? Was Trost now suffering a similar fate as the Shiganshina District had faced in 845? A pit formed in her stomach at the thought.

“Get to your horse,” Hange instructed with a steely resolve, the rest of the Fourth Squad falling in around them. “And meet me back here. We leave immediately.”

She didn’t need telling twice.

~*~

Ember lifted the box from underneath her bunk as she began the process of moving her belongings in silence. The girl sat on the adjacent bunk, not willing to talk and Ember understood. She grabbed her clothes, mostly consisting of her uniforms and tucked it into the container so it would be easily movable later.

She hadn’t have many belongings so switching dorms wasn’t going to be a long-winded process. Ember was now going to be sharing a room with Nifa on the floor where Hange’s office was situated. Nifa was a known dedicated soldier within the Fourth Squad and had been lovely each time she’d interacted with Ember. But still the reluctance still clouded her mind.

It was night-time now, the day’s events also playing on her mind. The fact that a boy who could transform into a Titan now existed and that the same boy had also sealed the breach in Wall Rose thus ensuring humanity’s first victory wasn’t exactly a common occurrence.

She sighed as the last of her stuff was packed up. “I’m sorry.”

Lyra echoed her sigh with an exhale. “No, don’t be sorry. I figured this might happen at some point. It was inevitable that they were going to steal you away eventually.”

“They’re not stealing me,” Ember said pointedly, turning around to face the girl on the bed. “We’re still going to see each other. Just not that often anymore.”

Lyra crossed her arms after a moment of contemplation. “I want a promise.”

“A promise?"

“Uh huh – I want you to promise me that whenever you have a moments free time, you’ll come and see me,” Lyra continued. “No excuses, or I’ll hunt you down Sorrows.”

Ember smirked. “You’ll hunt me down?”

“Don’t think I’m joking,” Lyra replied with an arched brow. “Now do you promise me or what?”

“I promise,” Ember said and held out her hand.

Lyra reached out and took it before tugging Ember into a crushing bear-hug.

“Don’t die either. I’ll be pissed,” she heard Lyra mumble. “And so will Cole and Austin.”

“Same to you,” Ember added, tightening her own grip on her best friend at the thought. A sinking feeling starting in her stomach again. After expeditions, she wouldn’t know straight away whether her friends had survived. She would have to wait until they returned to headquarters and she didn’t particularly like that idea.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment and Ember reluctantly pulled away to answer it. She blinked in surprise. “Hange?”

“Evening,” the Section-Commander smiled gingerly, their eyes briefly flickering over to Lyra before returning to Ember again. “Sorry to intrude, I was wondering if you’d like some help carrying your belongings upstairs.”

“Uh – I only have the one box. I should be fine. Thanks though.”

“Nonsense – allow me,” they strolled into the room, passing Lyra by who had returned to sulking on her bed. Hange picked up the box of Ember’s stuff as an awkward silence fell in the room.

“Honestly, you don’t have to,” Ember said quickly, moving forwards to take the box back but Hange stepped away with a small grin.

“I want to,” they said. “It’s the least I could do for…”

The sentence trailed off, but Ember knew where they were going with it and by the looks of it, so did Lyra as she glanced upwards. Her eyes slightly distant. “I’ll see you around Ember. Don’t forget your promise.”

“I swear I’ll keep it,” Ember nodded curtly.

And before she knew it, she was following Hange through the corridor and the Section-Commander was silent as if thinking over something in their head so Ember decided to speak first before they could get a word in.

“Hange,” she called, and the Section-Commander halted, tilting their head at her inquisitively. “I need to apologise.”

Hange frowned. “For what?”

“I shouldn’t have acted the way I did when I found out you moved me into the Fourth Squad. If Commander Erwin agreed to it then there must have been a valid reason and I should’ve trusted your judgement. I’m really sorry – _mmph_.”

The Section-Commander, with their free hand, had placed their index finger on Ember’s mouth – causing her to fall silent. She wasn’t sure what to particularly make of this development.

“Hush,” they said softly, their eyes containing a mixture of amusement and something else Ember couldn’t decipher. “I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I should’ve told you. I’m around you enough that I had the time. And to be truthful, my reasons for begging Erwin to let you join my squad was selfish.”

Hange’s hand moved slightly so that it was brushing Ember’s cheek and she desperately willed herself not to blush. She kept quiet, letting the Section-Commander continue talking.

“I thought that if you are in my squad, I could keep you safe and keep you close. I – “ their voice faltered slightly. “If I lose you, I don’t know what I’ll do. I wouldn’t know…what to do.”

“Hange…I would say that that’s not going to happen but that’s just what being in the Survey Corps is about…”

“I know,” they uttered as if the words were difficult to speak. “But I can try and stop it. I’ll do my hardest to stop it.”

She found herself staring at their lips as they moved, trying hard not to just grab their face and kiss them right there and then. Hange, however, didn’t bother with restraining themselves. Ember heard the box drop (slightly thankful that there was nothing fragile inside of it) and saw the Section-Commander lean towards her.

“Ember?” they whispered.

“Yes?” Ember replied weakly.

“Can I kiss you?” came the question and Ember almost laughed. Of course, they would ask permission first.

“If you don’t, I’ll slap you,” she retorted and Hange grinned. They placed their lips to hers, her hands grasping her chin and all Ember felt was warmth all over.

**Author's Note:**

> If there's anyone that liked this, please feel free to give me some prompts to work with in developing the relationship between my OC and Hange. I apologise if there's was any mistakes - I'm fairly new to writing in-dept relationships like this. So this is a first! Anyway, thanks for reading :)


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